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User: ivandavidoff

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Comments · 62

  1. Re:I hereby name this breakthrough in human evolut on The Epidemic of Digital Distraction · · Score: 1

    Multitasking is controlled ADHD.

    Singletasking, as in the dogged focus on one damn thing at a time, can be as big a problem as out-of-control ADHD.

  2. I hereby name this breakthrough in human evolution on The Epidemic of Digital Distraction · · Score: 1

    "Multitasking".

  3. The first 5 digits of a SSN is not a SSN on How Face Recognition Can Uncover SSNs · · Score: 1

    "The researchers sent a follow-up survey to their student participants asking them whether the first five digits of the social security number their algorithm predicted was correct."

    No word on how well they did, either.

    From the Schneier Study: "Information about an individual's place and date of birth can be exploited to predict his or her Social Security number (SSN). Using only publicly available information, we observed a correlation between individuals' SSNs and their birth data and found that for younger cohorts the correlation allows statistical inference of private SSNs. The inferences are made possible by the public availability of the Social Security Administration's Death Master File and the widespread accessibility of personal information from multiple sources, such as data brokers or profiles on social networking sites."

    What that means is that since SSN ranges are allocated regionally, and individual SSNs are generated sequentially, people born in the last 30 years around the same time in the same area will have similar SSNs. This isn't all that magical, and relies on consistent SSN allocation practices. It's just another form of social engineering. The SSA can completely stymie this with just a little bit of randomization.

  4. They'll be sorry on House Panel Approves Bill Forcing ISPs To Log Users · · Score: 2

    This is clearly an attack on Democrat sleazebags, who use the internet to carry out their peccadillos. Republican sleazebags are smugly confident this won't affect them, since they're still rocking it old-school in airport bathroom stalls. But the next generation of Republican sleazebags will be much more tech-savvy -- and they will rue this day.

  5. Why are we pussy-footing around this? on Followup: Anti-Global Warming Story Itself Flawed · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Roy Spencer, the co-author of the "gaping hole" study, is on the board of advisors of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.

    These folk believe, among other things, that God will not allow the Earth to be harmed by Global Warming:

    "The world is in the grip of an idea: that burning fossil fuels to provide affordable, abundant energy is causing global warming that will be so dangerous that we must stop it by reducing our use of fossil fuels, no matter the cost. Is that idea true? We believe not. We believe that idea – we'll call it "global warming alarmism" – fails the tests of theology, science, and economics."

    This is not science.

  6. Re:The real problem on Ask Slashdot: Do We Need Pseudonymous Social Networking? · · Score: 1

    how does Google decide what a "real name" looks like?

    They google you.

  7. It's not my fault on Ask Slashdot: Do We Need Pseudonymous Social Networking? · · Score: 2

    I tried to use my real name, but it was already taken.

  8. Re:The Structure of Scientific Revolutions on Climate Unit Releases Virtually All Remaining Data · · Score: 1

    What other respected branch of science reaches out for a "consensus" in the government or the populace to prove their theories? Science is not the blatant politicizing of science to overpower the paradigm group you disagree with.

    Yes, which is why CRU's work is hopelessly tainted, as is any peer review of their work. That entire branch of science should be mothballed, then secretly resurrected, this time keeping the well-meaning laymen the hell out.

    But, just because the CRU screwed up, and a bunch of politicians got involved in all this, does not mean that all the science is unsound. The CRU are not the only ones working on this.

    Even so, the IPCC suffers from the same mix of hard science, sensible conclusions, wild speculation, and political calls to action.

  9. Re:Pesky critics on Climate Unit Releases Virtually All Remaining Data · · Score: 1

    My bets are on them moving the goalposts (again).

    Or they'll just have someone mess with the numbers. It's amazing how results can be changed by jimmying the margin of error, or selectively weighting certain numbers based on subjective judgement. By focussing on the raw data, the larger picture is obscured.

    "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics."

  10. Sinister! on Climate Unit Releases Virtually All Remaining Data · · Score: 1

    Just what are Trinidad and Tobago hiding?

  11. Re:Basements? on Researchers Say Dark Winters Led To Bigger Human Brains · · Score: 2

    The ever-glowing dual monitors are like a tropical sun. So, no.

  12. Re:Racists on Researchers Say Dark Winters Led To Bigger Human Brains · · Score: 2

    Eskimos live up there too.

  13. Re:Industrious on Chinese Couple Sells Kids To Fund Online Gaming · · Score: 1

    Puts the lie to the obsessed gamer in mom's basement stereotype, don't it.

  14. What's in a name? on The Internet's Age of Rage · · Score: 1

    This^ is not my meatspace name, but after decades of use, more people know me by this name than by my birth name. So now I have an on-line reputation to uphold, such as it is. Ivan has evolved from troll into Mr. Nice Guy. Occassionally, I log on using my real name and act like a complete ass. It's liberating.

  15. Re:Yeah on Single Photons Do Not Exceed the Speed of Light · · Score: 1

    See, this is what pop culture teaches us: these photons were thought to be fast just because they're single.

  16. Next up... on Single Photons Do Not Exceed the Speed of Light · · Score: 1

    Over-unity machines made from Lego and magnets: can they work?

  17. password = "password" on Fewer Hacked Records Does Not Mean Better Security · · Score: 5, Informative

    From Verizon's 2011 Data Breach Investigations Report (p. 26)

    Table 8. Top 15 Threat Action Types by number of breaches and number of records

    Category Threat Action Type Short Name Breaches Records

    1 Malware Send data to external site/entity SNDATA 297 1,729,719
    2 Malware Backdoor (allows remote access / control) MALBAK 294 2,065,001
    3 Hacking Exploitation of backdoor or command and control channel HAKBAK 279 1,751,530
    4 Hacking Exploitation of default or guessable credentials DFCRED 257 1,169,300
    5 Malware Keylogger/Form-grabber/Spyware (capture data from user activity) KEYLOG 250 1,538,680
    6 Physical Tampering TAMPER 216 371,470
    7 Hacking Brute force and dictionary attacks BRUTE 200 1,316,588
    8 Malware Disable or interfere with security controls DISABL 189 736,884
    9 Hacking Footprinting and Fingerprinting FTPRNT 185 720,129
    10 Malware System/network utilities (PsTools, Netcat) UTILITY 121 1,098,643
    11 Misuse Embezzlement, skimming, and related fraud EMBZZL 100 37,229
    12 Malware RAM scraper (captures data from volatile memory) RAMSCR 95 606,354
    13 Hacking Use of stolen login credentials STLCRED 79 817,159
    14 Misuse Abuse of system access/privileges ABUSE 65 22,364
    15 Social Solicitation/Bribery BRIBE 59 23,361


    Honorable Mention at #16
    16 Hacking SQL Injection SQLINJ 54 933,157

  18. Ha! on Last Typewriter Factory in the World Shuts Its Doors · · Score: 1

    Y'all will be jealous of me and my Remington Portable when the apocalypse comes.

  19. And what's in it for me? on Air Force Wants Reusable Fly-Back Rockets · · Score: 2, Funny

    If flying cars could be made to blow up the enemy, or even just humiliate them, we'd have flying cars. Not to take anything away from the folks at Cal Poly, but I'm still waiting for the next Teflon.

  20. It's the only sure way on Ninth Suicide At iPhone Factory · · Score: 1

    to get out of that damn AT&T contract.

  21. Re:Debated for millenia? on "Argonaut" Octopus Sucks Air Into Shell As Ballast · · Score: 4, Informative

    FTFA: No less a thinker than Aristotle put forward a hypothesis.

    That was about 2.35 millenniums ago.

  22. Re:That's not ballast. on "Argonaut" Octopus Sucks Air Into Shell As Ballast · · Score: 1

    Ok, now I get it. As you said, if it captures less air, the overall volume of the argonaut is reduced -- and density increased -- too quickly, making it neutrally buoyant at a lesser depth. The extra-large air bubble keeps the argonaut from shrinking too much before the desired depth is reached.

    I did a little quick reading to cure my ignorance and learned that divers have a device called a buoyancy compensator that works the same way.

  23. Re:Mating Rituals on "Argonaut" Octopus Sucks Air Into Shell As Ballast · · Score: 2, Funny

    There's ugly, there's coyote ugly, and there's argonaut ugly.

  24. Re:That's not ballast. on "Argonaut" Octopus Sucks Air Into Shell As Ballast · · Score: 1

    Ah! So it's not just me.

    Both these passages from the article are exactly backwards:

    By rocking at the surface, the argonaut can also trap a sizeable volume of air, which, in turn, allows it to reach a greater depth before becoming neutrally buoyant.

    The animals created air pockets as they would in the wild but without the ability to dive to the right depth, the air just brought them back to the surface again.

  25. Really good design takes talent on The Design of Design · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You can't teach talent.